1. Retinoids Fight Off Free Radicals

They’re formed by exposure to UV rays, certain medications, environmental toxins, radiation, processed food, smoke, and other forms of pollution. Free radicals are everywhere and impossible to avoid without a good antioxidant.

Retinoids are antioxidants and when coupled with others antioxidants such as Vitamin C, you can give those radicals a run for their money!

What are Free Radicals?

Free radicals are atoms with an odd (unpaired) number of electrons. These unpaired electrons break down other perfectly healthy molecules that form our beings. When this happens you begin to experience the signs of aging.

Tidbit: There’s a school of thought, the free-radical theory of aging (FRTA), that posits that we only age because of the accumulation of free radical damage over our lifetime and that if we could do away with free radicals, we could stop aging all together!

Maybe, or maybe not, but regardless, it definitely slows down aging in the skin.

3. Retinoids Increase Cell Turnover

Cell turnover (cell renewal rate) is the rate at which our skin produces new cells. When you increase or speed up cell turnover you’re essentially pushing new, healthy skin cells to your skin’s surface. This improves or corrects:

Skin Texture

Enlarged Pores

Dark Spots

Acne Scars

Fine Lines

Cell turnover slows down as we age. For example, when we’re babies our cells turn over every 14 days but by the time we’re teenagers it has slowed down to about 21 to 28 days. As we approach middle age it can take up to 42 days and past 50 as many as 84!

Retinoids help speed up the process, mimicking the skin of many years younger.

Retinoids, such as Differin, can reduce the size of the sebaceous gland and the amount of oil it secretes. This causes a reduction in the amount of bacteria in the skin, which is the main cause of acne.

TIP: Don’t use a retinoid product with your benzoyl peroxide. The retinoid deactivates the benzoyl peroxide so it’s just a waste of Clearasil®.

5. Retinoids Increase Collagen Production

Retinoids, when applied to the skin, convert to retinoic acid. The retinoic acid then communicates with our cells promoting the production of collagen, elastin, hyaluronic acid and good will, all of which are responsible for keeping our skin tight and supple.

Those first three things are what deplete when we age making our skin old and saggy. So retinoids boost: